Lunch heater and kit.



No. 655,926. Patented Aug. I4, .|900.

A. C. FREED.

LUNCH HEATER AND KIT.

(Application led Nov. 2, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet J,

uvam to@ Nn. 655,926. Patented Aug. I4, |9001.

A`. C. FREED.

LUNCH HEATER AND KIT.

(Application led Nov. 2, 1899.) (NoModel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

tran .a'rns AARON C. FREED, OF ROYERSFORD, PENNSYLVANIA.

LUNCH Hen-tenant; KIT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 655,926, dated August14, 190D.

Application iiled November 2, 1899.

T0 all whom, t may concern:Y 1

Beit known that I, AARON C. FREED, a citizen of the United States,residing at Reyersford, in the county of Montgomery and State ofPennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lunch Heatersand Kits, of which the following isa'specification.

My invention relates to improvements in lunch-kits, and pertains to acase or box made of any suitable material having an opening thrdugh oneside or end thereof and horizontal shelves removably supported Withinthe case, said horizontal shelves having depending food-receptacles, allof which will be fully described hereinafter, and particularly referredto in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a perspective view ofinyinvention, the horizontal shelves with depending receptacles beingshown partially Withdrawn from the case and also the coffee-canteen.Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view taken throughthe center of the case or boX. Fig. 3 is a section taken at right anglesthereto. Fig. 4t is an enlarged perspective view of one of the removablehorizontal shelves With depending food-receptacles. Fig. 5 is a centralsectional view of the lid, showing it removed and in position tobbe usedas a plate,

Referring .now to the drawings, A is a ease which is rectangular inshape and having in one end or side thereof an opening B, which isclosed by a swinging door C, the said door C provided with a turn-buttonD, adapted to interlock with the inturned edge d, situated at one sideof the said opening B. The opening B does not extend entirely to the topof the case A for the purpose of leaving a portion E thereof, to whichone of the bail-ears F is attached, the other ear being attached to theopposite end of the case..

The case A may be made of any desired material and of any desireddimensions without in any manner affecting the spirit or scope of myinvention.

The inner side of the case A is provided with thelongitudinally-extending ribs h, upon which the horizontal slidingshelves G are supported. These ribs h may be made in the form of anL-shaped bracket, as here shown, or of any other desired form, and maybe made of any material and either riveted or vcooking utensils.

sean no. 735,600. (No man.)

'soldered to the inner side of the case, as desired. These ribs b are ina line with the opening B, and the edges a of the case are provided Withnotches or recesses o, situated just above the supporting-ribs l), theedges of the shelves G passing through the said notches or slits andupon the supporting brackets or ribs l). 6o l Especial attention isdirected to the construction of the horizontal shelves G, Which areprovided with the depending food-receptacles Hand I, the two receptaclesl being preferably at one end of the shelf and an oblong ortransversely-extending receptacle H I being at the opposite end of theshelf, each shelf thus having three depending food-receptacles. Thesedependingfood-receptacles may be formed integral with the shelf G or 7omay be made separate and attached thereto in any desired manner, andthey may be either constructed of tin or other material, and in eitherevent they may be lined with porcelain or other lining, such as isgenerally used in The shelves consist of the horizontal portion, whichforms all around the depending receptacles a horizontally-extendingflange e, the flanges e at the side thereof adapted to rest upon thesupporting- 8o ribs b, as is clearly shown. The laterallyextending`horizontal portion of the shelf, in addition to serving as a means forsupporting the shelf within the case, serves as a handle for handlingthe shelf, and consequently the food-receptacles when being filled withfood or When being placed in or withdrawn from the case and when beinghandled afterit is withdrawn from the case for the purpose of eatingtherefrom. An arrangement of this 9o character is very advantageous overthe ordinary lunch-kit in which there is a shelf to p receive separateand independent dishes, for

the reason that there are no separate dishes to be handled by thehousekeeper and liable to be broken, and when the shelf is withdrawnfrom the kit the several dishes depending therefrom the same distanceform a broad support upon which to rest the shelf, and consequently thefood-receptacles when the perrco son is eating. Those who have use forlunchkits do not have tables upon which to eat, and therefore theordinary dish is likely to be upset upon uneven surfaces, which is notthe case with a shelf carrying with it the depending food receptacles,as here shown. This construction also makes a lunch-kit much lighterthan one in which individual and separate dishes are set upon a shelf.

The two shelves G are so situated in the case that there is a spacebelow the food-receptacle of the lower shelf for' the insertion of aflat coffee-canteen J, the said canteen preferably being of metal toprevent the breaking thereof,though it may be made of glass or othermaterial.

For the purpose of permittinga free circulation of air throughout thekit, and consequently keeping the various articles in the dependingreceptacles at the same temperature, the shelves G are provided with airpassages or openings f in the horizontal portion thereof and at thesides of the food-receptacles I-I and I.

Preferably the ltwo shelves Gr are made alike, though not necessarily;but in either event the food-receptacles will be of the same depth,whereby there will not need to be anyy care on the part of the servantor other person in placing the shelves in position in the case, as theywill lit upon eitherseries of supporting-ribs b.

The coffee-canteen is made of a size which will permit the placing atone side thereof when in the case a knife g and at the opposite side afork 7L.

The top of the case is open and receives a detachable pan lK, said panhaving an outturned edge to rest upon the top edge of the case. Fittingwithin this pan is a detachable top M, which is bulged upward or madedome shape, as shown, having a depending iiange t' to iit within thesaid pan and a hori` zontal ridge j to rest upon the upper edge of thepan. This top M is provided at its corners with upwardly-projectingknobs N, which knobs serve as means to remove the top from the pan K andalso as legs when the top is turned upside down, as shown in Fig. 5, tobe used as a plate. These knobs serve to prevent the upsetting orsliding of the pan when it is placed upon an irregular surface andaffords a rm and even support therefor. These knobs being placed as hereshown instead of the usual central handle are entirely out of the Way ofthe arm of the person carrying the kit and which extends through andunder the bail P, as will be readily understood, thus affording aconstruction which combines in itself several features of advantage.

The pan K is adapted to receive a smaller soup-pan Q, 'which pan Q.. issufficiently smaller than the pan K to permit the depending iiange 1S ofthe top M to pass between the outer edge of the soup-pan Q andl theinner side of the vertical wall`of the pan K. For the purpose ofpreventing the slopping over of the soup in the pan Q from the handlingand carrying of the kit the pan Q is provided with an inwardly-extendingflange s, which l will prevent the slopping of the soup, andconsequently prevent it from falling through upon the shelves below andfinding its way into the food situated in the food-receptacles of theshelves. `The space S at one end of the pan K, unoccupied by thesoup-pan Q, is to receive a cup or other culinary implements which areusually carried along with a lunch-kit. i

A lunch-kit of the construction herein shown and described isexceedingly simple in construction, light, and therefore easy to carry,providing means whereby the food-receptacles are integral with thehorizontal shelves to prevent them being upset in the handling thereof,and in which the food is kept warm by the means heretofore described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. In a lunch-kit the combination with a casing of a horizontal shelfhaving separate and isolated depending food-receptacles at points insideof its outer supporting edge, whereby each receptacle has the whole ofits wall exposed and adapted to be subjected to the heat within the kitindependent of its adjacent receptacle, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. The combination in a lunch-kit of a horizontal shelf having a.horizontally-projecting supporting edge and separate and isolateddepending food-receptacles, the horizontal portion of the shelf providedwith vertical perforations for the passage of air thereabove,substantially as described.

3. In a lunch-kit, the combination with a casing of a horizontal shelfhaving a horizontal supporting edge, and depending'isolated separatefood-receptacles, the horizontal portion between the isolated separatefoodreceptacles provided with escape passageways or perforations,substantially as described.

4. A lunch-kit comprising a case having an open end,longitudinally-extending shelf-supporting beads, removable horizontalshelves having horizontal supporting edges for engaging the said beads,the said shelves having depending isolated and separatefood-receptacles, the said case having an opened'upper end, a panadapted to tit in the open upper end of the case and to be removedvertically therefrom, a cover fitting Within the upper end of the panindependent of the case, the said horizontal shelves having verticalpassage-ways to permit the circulation of the heated air within the kit,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

NAARON C. FREED.

l/Vitnesses:

A..S. PATTIsoN, Guo. E. FRECH.

IIO

